Are you being held back?

“My thoughts are completely different from yours,” says the LORD. “And my ways are far beyond anything you could imagine. 9For just as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts higher than your thoughts. Isaiah 55:8-9 (New Living Translation)

The other day, I was sitting on my chain-swing having my daily quiet time in my back yard. I was thinking about a couple of areas in my life that aren't really progressing as I would like. Frankly, I was frustrated. I felt like God was holding me back. I was almost angry in my attitude towards Him. I was thinking stuff like, "I am so ready for this, God" and "I really can handle it." I asked Him probing questions like, "Why won't this happen?" and "Can you not hear me?" Yet, there I was...held back...knowing where I could go and what I could be, but knowing that I wasn't going forward. Yep, I was being held back...God was holding me back....


Then, I noticed our new dog, Frisbee, as he was lounging in our back yard, hearing my selfish prayers. Our back yard has a partial fence, but it is not enclosed. So, in the meantime, we have been forced to put Frisbee on a chain until we finish our fence. Then, he will have the entire back yard to romp and play. My thoughts then shifted away from myself and on to my dog. I began to put myself in his paw prints. I began to realize that he must think his life to be unfair...after all, there's a HUGE back hard to go and play in, and his chain kept him confined to a small portion of it. He could see exactly where he wanted to go and what he wanted to do...yet, he was being held back. Then, all of a sudden, I found myself defending my actions as his master. The truth is that, Frisbee can't handle being off that chain. For me to release him would be to sign his death certificate. If I let him off, it would be no time before he wandered to the road and got hit by a passing car. In other words, by holding Frisbee back, I was actually protecting him...giving him life. Besides, there would come a day in the near future when the chain would come off and he would have a HUGE, enclosed back yard in which to play. So, what seemed unfair from Frisbee's perspective seemed perfectly logicaly from my perspective as his master.

Then, it hit me...that's the same thing God is doing in my life. My chain is for my benefit and has been given to me in love. I am being held back for my protection and to give me life...not to diminish it or take it away. Instead of cursing God for holding me back, I need to thank Him, because He always has my best interests at heart.

What about you? Are you being held back from a certain relationship? What about that job promotion that never seems to get here? Are you struggling financially with no real help in sight? Could it be that God is holding you back for now for your own protection? Could it be that He is holding you back at present, so that you will mature and bear fruit later? Don't jump ahead of God...thank Him for the chain and be content at present, because, one day, He will remove the chain and you will have the dream that far exceeds what you've always wanted.

Read more!